


Blood’s Run Stale

by OliviaVeggieGurl



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Apocalypse, F/M, Human Experimentation, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, M/M, Medical Experimentation, Medical Torture, Omega Verse, Past Torture, Post-Apocalypse, Science Experiments, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Torture, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2020-10-19 10:51:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20656028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OliviaVeggieGurl/pseuds/OliviaVeggieGurl
Summary: Daibazaal Labs was experimenting on omegas when one brain experiment goes terribly wrong. It gave the omegas unnatural strength that allowed them to break out of their bindings and attack the alpha and beta scientists. It also affected their saliva so that when they bit someone, it transferred the experiment affects onto the bitten. A fire then broke out at the labs, allowing most of the zombies to escape. That’s how the outbreak began and spread like wildfire.Two years later, Keith was a loner during the apocalypse. When he gets injured and ducks into a safe nook, he is found by an old friend and his group. Keith must remember what it is like to be with other people, especially after being a lone omega for two years.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m still working on my other story but thought I’d post his. I love apocalypse stories, and I thought I was pretty clever with this lol. But I could be wrong *shrug*
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy.

Keith scratched uselessly at the metal collar around his neck. On days when the sun was at its highest and it was hot as hell, his skin grew irritated from the metal chafing his neck. He sighed as he assessed the situation in front of him. He really wished that zombie herd hadn’t found his dad’s old shack a year ago. It made his life horrible. What was worse was when he was in heat. It seemed that his pheromones still affected the alpha zombies. Even with his scent blocking collar around his neck, his scent was pungent during his heat.

Oddly enough, just as it affected the Alpha zombies, it affected the omega ones as well. It seemed that when Keith was at his peak and sneaking around, the omega zombies flanked him and seemed to try to protect him. It was odd but also a bit comforting in a weird sort of way. Though the zombies couldn’t talk and tried to eat Keith most of the time, during his heats, the omega ones and even the betas sometimes would protect him from the alpha zombies. It didn’t happen often enough in Keith’s opinion.

At least he had Kosmo, his trusty wild coyote, for company. Kosmo was a lifesaver. Keith had found him as a puppy, the last of his litter still alive after a zombie herd came through. Keith had been looking for any canned goods he could find in a run down motor home when he saw Kosmo cowering in a corner. All that was let of his mother and siblings was blood and a few dismembered body parts. Keith had immediately taken Kosmo in, seeing that all he kept finding was dog food anyway. Dog food was easier to come by these days than canned beans. Keith would get his protein any way he could. But with another mouth to feed, Keith often just hunted for some squirrel or rabbit that had managed to survive. Or, he’d find some edible berries according to the book he had taken from an abandoned library a few weeks back. It hadn’t steered him wrong yet.

Anyways, back to the task at hand. He had seen a small gas station that could have some water in it. Only problem...there were alpha zombies around and Keith was nearing the end of his heat. He had tried to last until it was over, but both he and Kosmo were parched. They had run out of water just yesterday but in the summer heat, it felt like it had been days since they last drank anything. So, here Keith was, staking out the gas station. Kosmo had whimpered a bit beside him upon seeing all the zombies, but was otherwise pretty quiet. He usually did whatever Keith needed him to, most of the time just following him into a building for supplies and having his back if needed. The first time Kosmo had bitten a zombie, Keith was afraid that it would change him. But it didn’t affect Kosmo at all, thankfully. Keith didn’t know what he’d do if he lost Kosmo. Kosmo made things easier, especially when Keith was in heat. Sometimes, Kosmo would go out and hunt for small game, sharing his kill with Keith. It was the only way Keith stayed fed during his heats. 

Keith lightly rubbed the top of Kosmo’s head in comfort before pulling out both his mother’s knife and sword. It was a set she had gotten from his dad for her birthday one year. As she laid dying, she begged Keith to take them to defend himself. He became an orphan a few years later. 

Keith inhaled shakily at the memory, gripping onto the sword tightly. He did have a gun but it only had three bullets left. He usually used his sword over a loud gun anyway. Only an idiot would use a gun to kill a zombie. 

As Keith stood, his heat hit him full force and he wobbled before crouching back down again. Kosmo whined beside him.  
“Kosmo, we have no other choice,” Keith hissed, trying not to gain the zombies’ attention. “I at least need some clean water. You’re lucky, you can drink out of a stream or dirty puddle. My immune system doesn’t work that way.” Kosmo’s ears drooped. Keith sighed, scratching behind one of his ears. “It’ll be okay. You have my back anyway, right?” Kosmo let out a soft woof. “Good, then we’ll be fine. Let’s go.”

Keith turned back to the gas station, thinking. There were a few zombies surrounding it. It usually wouldn’t be a big deal, but like Keith realized before, they were all alphas. Even with the stupid collar, they’d still be able to smell his slick. At least the worst of his heat was over. He could probably take the zombies one by one, but not all at once. 

“I need to distract them somehow,” he whispered to himself, right hand stuffed in his red hoodie. Keith blinked when he felt a small box. He pulled it out and realized he still had a couple matches left from that hotel they raided a month ago. “Should I risk our last match?” He stared down at the two matches. They had been using them to build fires for cooking and boiling water. Water...

“It’s worth it,” he whispered, trying to convince himself. “There will be water inside. There has to be. No one else would want to be near it with all the alpha zombies hanging around.” He smiled as he felt Kosmo lick his left hand gripping the sword. He turned to his companion. “Ready?” Kosmo just licked his hand again, intelligent brown eyes gazing at him.

He quickly lit a match, taking a piece of old newspaper out of his black backpack and lighting it. Once it began to catch fire, Keith quickly tied a rock to it with old twine before throwing it to the right. It took a few minutes for the zombies to notice it. They slowly gravitated toward the bright fire, one zombie losing an arm along the way. 

Keith waited for a beat before taking a deep breath and ducking out from behind the bushes. He managed to take two of the zombies by surprise, instantly stabbing them in the brain before they could even smell him. The noise of them hitting the ground, however, alerted the other seven of his presence. Keith sucked in a breath before urging Kosmo toward the gas station. If he could get the door open, he could quickly block it with one of those metal newspaper boxes he had seen knocked over inside. 

Taking that breath had been a bit of a mistake. For a zombie, they sure knew how to use their alpha pheromones. Keith could feel his knees go weak from their eager scents. What he wouldn’t give to have an alpha take care of him. He was on his own, though, and had learned long ago how to take care of himself. Kosmo had grabbed his sleeve at this point and was helping Keith’s wobbly legs move a bit faster. 

It felt like hours before they finally reached the glass doors. Keith gripped onto a handle and yanked. The door didn’t budge. Cursing, Keith leaned back, using all his strength to pull the door open. Finally, the rusted hinges squeaked as Keith forced one door open. He let Kosmo slip inside first before squeezing his body through the opening. He immediately closed the door behind him and pulled his belt off, wrapping the leather around the metal handles and buckling it shut. 

He heard Kosmo let out a growl and turned just in time to dodge a rotting hand reaching for him. Out of instinct, Keith sliced the air with the sword, effectively cutting the zombie’s arm off. Black blood splattered over Keith’s bright red hoodie, further dirtying it. Kosmo then lunged, the zombie hitting the ground with a sickening crunch. Keith immediately crouched down and stabbed the zombie in the head with the knife before summersaulting on the ground and slicing at a second zombie’s legs. The zombie crumpled to the floor and Keith quickly stabbed its scalp too. A third zombie lunged at him with arms outstretched. Keith went for his neck, beheading the zombie with ease. Cold black blood hit his left cheek but he kept going, slicing the legs off of that zombie before grabbing the head and stabbing through the brain. As Keith stood and got in a defensive stance, he looked around and realized that he had gotten all the zombies inside. 

Letting out a sigh of relief, Keith used the end of his hoodie to wipe the blood off his sword and knife before practically sprinting to the glass fridge area. He flung one of the door’s open in his haste and gripped at a six ounce bottle of water. It seemed to be the only water left, but Keith didn’t care. Any water was better than none. He quickly unsealed the cap and threw his head back as he chugged the water in one go. He let out a gasping sigh as his thirst was finally quenched for a bit. Noting how sad Kosmo looked, Keith glanced toward the back and managed to find two more six ounce bottles. He stretched forward, barely managing to graze one with his fingertips. He was able to grip the other one easily enough. Keith let out a thoughtful hum as he looked around the station for something he could use to move the bottle into his reach. 

Ignoring the slow banging against the glass doors, Keith spotted an umbrella with a crooked end. He grabbed it and headed back for the fridge, bending down and reaching for the bottle. It took a couple of tries before Keith cried out in triumph. He found an old container that used to house candy and poured some water in it before placing it on the floor for Kosmo. Kosmo drank happily, long tail wagging all the while. Keith smiled down at his companion before noticing an odd sound coming from outside. It almost sounded like an engine from a motorbike roaring. 

Crouching down, Keith slowly made his way to a window and peeked out, cursing when he realized it was a Galra. They were the ones who started the whole apocalypse. Keith had learned long ago to steer clear of them. Now that a few were on motorbikes heading his way, what was he to do?

He kept hidden behind a newspaper stand as the motorbikes slowed, the engines revving a bit before cutting off. There was shuffling before Keith heard a smooth voice. 

“Looks like someone’s already here,” the male voice spoke in a British accent. “Axca, take the gas station, the others will follow me to the town. There has to be some live omegas around here somewhere.” Keith’s heart stopped. They were looking for omegas?

“Yes Sir,” a female voice replied.

Soon, three motorbikes were revving again before the sounds began to fade. Keith held his breath, trying to listen, heart pounding. Suddenly, the door he had entered banged open. 

“I know you’re here,” the hard female voice said as boots crunched on broken glass. “Those were freshly killed zombies.”  
Kosmo suddenly appeared at Keith’s side, teeth bared but remaining silent. Keith put a finger to his lips to signal that he continue to keep quiet. 

The boots continued to crunch on glass and newspaper. There was a pause before the Galra started heading their way. Keith could feel himself panicking. 

“Might as well come out,” the sound of a safety clicked off. Keith could see her shadow now. He readied himself, muscles taut, for a fight. 

Before the woman could turn the corner, gunshots sounded and the woman cursed. “Govs,” she hissed. “Today’s your lucky day, runt.”

Keith remained where he was as the woman ran out of the gas station. After hearing the engine start, he chanced peeking over the stand. Three government labeled four wheelers were speeding toward the gas station as the woman sped off. She wasn’t quick enough to avoid the bullets, though. One flattened the front tire of her bike and she flew off, hitting the ground a few feet away. Keith remained where he was, unsure if he should help or not. Though the Galra were bad, the Government was worse, especially for a Galra female. 

After sticking to his hiding spot for a while, watching as two government officials dismounted and headed for the crouching Galra, Keith finally made up his mind and vaulted over the newspaper stand, crashing through the cracked glass. The two government men looked over at him before doing a double take at the collar around his neck. 

“Are you alright?” One of them asked, holstering his gun as he crept slowly toward Keith as if he was a frightened animal. “Has the Galra done anything to you?”

“No,” Keith grit out as the other man continued to the Galra woman, who pulled out her gun and glanced over at Keith. He couldn’t see her expression due to her helmet, but he knew she was waiting for his cue. She was going to back him up in order to get out alive and free. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine,” the guy acted concerned, though Keith could see the selfish gleam in his eye at finding a free omega running around. “Why don’t you come with us? We’ll get you some fresh food and water, and get that collar off of you.”  
Keith let out a warning growl when the man reached out a black gloved hand. The man froze. “I don’t need your help,” he snapped, pulling his mother’s sword out from behind his back. “I don’t need anyone’s help. I’ve been doing just fine on my own.”

“Oh really?” The man actually laughed. “You look like a toothpick. I bet you haven’t had a proper meal in years.” He paused before pulling out a pair of handcuffs. “Now, just come with us quietly or we’ll have to detain you.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Keith huffed out an amused laugh. Though he was in heat and there were four men, Keith had a feeling that both he and this female Galra could take them. He could smell the beta on her, so he knew she’d be a resourceful ally for the time being.

Keith got into a fighting stance, holding his mother’s sword out in front of him. He smirked, beckoning the man forward with a nod. Huffing, the man placed the handcuffs back on his belt before pulling out a stun gun. One of the other men got off their four wheeler and headed for him while the other headed for the Galra. There was silence, until the Galra woman let out a battle cry and leapt forward. 

Keith braced himself as the two men headed for him. He dodged the punching blow of one man while the one who had been talking to him tried to stun him. Before he could pull the trigger, Kosmo attacked him, snapping his jaws around the man’s forearm. The man howled and released the trigger. Keith managed to dodge it but the other man wasn’t so lucky. It hit the guy square in the back, causing his body to convulse before he passed out. 

Keith let out a laugh, taking the guy’s handheld gun before smacking the other man in the back of the head, it was almost child’s play with how easy it was to take those two down. The man fell to the ground and Kosmo released his arm. Just as Keith was about to congratulate Kosmo, he heard a pained grunt. Spinning behind him, Keith noticed the men going after the Galra had better fighting skills. Scoffing, Keith pocketed the gun before lunging forward, slicing one man in the arm. The man hissed and turned his attention to Keith.

“You know, I’m almost offended,” Keith sighed dramatically. “You see and omega and think he can’t fight well, so you send your rookies after him? That’s almost an insult to me and all omega kind.” The man had a small knife in his hand and was brandishing it at Keith. At least this man was smarter than the others. “Don’t worry,” Keith smirked and held his thin sword forward at an angle. “I’ll set you all straight on how strong an omega can be.”

The man lunged first, faking a left before making a right. Keith had a bit of difficulty dodging, but he managed with just a scratch from the blade. Keith twisted his body, taking his sword with him. He let out a satisfied sigh as the man screamed and fresh red blood splattered his already dirty hoodie. Kosmo took care of the rest, clamping down on the man’s wrist until he let go of the knife. Keith snatched it up before kicking the man in the face. 

As he turned to check on the Galra, he noticed she was having trouble with the last guy. He seemed to be the leader and most advanced at martial arts. As Keith watched, they seemed to be doing a dance, dodging each other equally. Keith began to wonder if he should intervene when he smelled it. Gunpowder. 

“Shit,” Keith spun around in time to see a fifth man make a run for it, holding a remote in his hand. Keith lunged forward and slammed himself into the Galra, effectively knocking them both over. “It’s a bomb,” he explained as they ducked behind a tree. Keith looked around before whistling. He watched as Kosmo ran over to him. Afraid that the dog wouldn’t make it in time, Keith dashed forward and pushed the coyote forward, just as the bomb went off. Everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the confusion earlier. I forgot to mark this as a chapter story...oops lol. I plan on this being rather long, so please enjoy :D

“Come on, Hunk,” Lance whined from behind his best friend. “You got to take point last time. Why do you get to do it again?”

“Because I’m bigger and stronger than you,” his dark skinned friend rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, but that means there’s more of you for them to eat,” Lance sighed, lifting his rifle to look through the scope. “Wouldn’t it make sense to let my lean body go first? I’m faster than you anyway.”

“Which is why you should stay in the back,” Hunk turned to glare at his long time friend. “Besides, aren’t you the one who keeps calling yourself the Sharpshooter? You can’t exactly take good shots if the zombies are too close.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lance sighed, adjusting his grip on the weapon. 

He was so busy looking through the scope, that he nearly tripped over something furry. Hearing a low whine, Lance looked down to see a dog of sorts staring at him almost pleadingly. 

“Uh, Hunk,” Lance called.

“Look Lance,” Hunk groaned. “You aren’t taking point and that’s final.”

“Hunk,” Lance snapped.

Hunk finally turned around at his friend’s tone of voice. “What...is that?”

“It looks like a dog,” Lance shrugged, bending down to the dog’s eye level. “Are you lost, little guy?”

The tan dog just whined before turning around and heading right, near a cluster of run down houses. Lance and Hunk just stared at the pointed ears of the dog, wondering where this random dog came from and how it had survived the apocalypse. Most dogs were caught and eaten by starving survivors. So, this dog was either very smart, or had a human looking after it.

The dog paused and looked behind before whining again and rushing forward.

“I think he wants us to follow him,” Lance blinked in surprise.

“He could be leading us into a trap,” Hunk frowned, cocking his father’s pistol at the dog.

“Or, he’s injured and needs help,” Lance huffed. “Come on, Hunk. I doubt this dog would harm us. He looks desperate.”

Hunk sighed and scratched the back of his head. “Fine,” he finally mumbled. “I’ll lead, you watch my back.”

“Fine,” Lance rolled his eyes. 

“I’m bossy because I care,” Hunk reminded his lower ranked friend. “It’s my duty as the alpha to protect you.”

“Whatever,” Lance said. “Let’s just go.”

So, the two males followed the strange dog, each being cautious on where they were headed. Lance faced behind with his gun raised so they wouldn’t get any surprises. Hunk followed the dog with his own gun up.

They needn’t worried, for the dog was smart enough to weave in and out of hiding spots whenever a zombie was nearby. 

Finally, after what felt like hours, they reached an old two story house, whose shutters were mostly broken up and hanging by threads. The door had been kicked in, so Lance assumed there were no supplies left. 

To both males’ surprise, the dog led them not to the front door, but around to the backyard. There was a hole in the wooden fence where it appeared the dog had dug underneath to get in. Hunk unlatched and pulled open the rusty gate, both he and Lance wincing as the hinges creaked. Lance made sure to close the gate behind them before catching up to Hunk and the dog. 

The dog finally stopped at a collapsing shed, wiggling himself through a tiny hole in the door. Hunk and Lance approached the shed carefully, both having their guns raised. Hunk was the first to peek through the dust-covered window. At his gasp, Lance pushed him aside to look too.

“What is it?” He asked as he squinted through the glass. His mouth dropped open at seeing a blood trail forming from the door to a dark corner in the shed. There was an old lawn mower that seemed to conceal the smell at first, but once Lance got  
close enough to the door, he could smell the sour tang of an injured omega. “Oh shit.”

“Stay here and keep guard,” Hunk demanded before he tested the door. The doorknob wouldn’t budge, so Hunk simply broke the door down with a well aimed kick. He was about to head inside when both he and Lance froze at the warning growl coming from the corner. 

The dog was off to the side, so he wasn’t the one making the noise. That particular growl was from an injured omega that felt cornered. Lance managed to take a few steps into the shed for betas weren’t as affected as alphas could be.

“Lance,” Hunk warned. 

Lance peered around the mower and gasped at seeing a very thin and pale omega male. The light from outside glinted against the metal collar around his neck. Even so, Lance could smell the heat on him from where he was standing.

He turned serious eyes toward his best friend. “Stay put,” he warned.

“Lance—“

“He’s in heat and probably scared,” Lance snapped, protectiveness taking over. “The last thing he needs is an alpha attacking him.”

“Hey,” Hunk frowned. “I’m in a committed relationship.”

“Doesn’t matter once you smell the heat,” Lance glared. “You know this.” Hunk just sighed in reply. “Just let me go in and check on him.” He gave his childhood friend an encouraging smile. “I’ll be fine. I think he’s too injured to fight back anyway.” He took a few more steps inside, the smell of distressed omega getting even stronger. He turned back to Hunk one more time. “Shoot anything that moves.” He then headed over to the dark corner slowly, giving the omega time to notice his presence. The omega growled a warning.

“Back off,” the voice was gravelly, like he hadn’t had much water lately. 

“It’s okay,” Lance spoke calmly, holding both hands up to show he meant no harm. “I’m just here to help.”

Lance heard the omega sniff the air before taking a pained breath. “You an alpha?” The dark haired omega asked.

“No, beta,” Lance replied. The omega still glared at him with nearly purple eyes. “I promise.” He held out his weapon and slowly placed it on a shelf before raising his hands again. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“Yeah,” the omega scoffed. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.”

“If it makes any difference, your dog led us here.” Lance replied, his eyes briefly resting on the animal before turning back to the omega. Damn, that was a lot of blood loss. He had to make this quick. “I don’t think he would’ve led us here unless he was desperate or worried about you.”

The omega’s scent turned sharp in surprise. “Kosmo...led you to me?”

“Yeah,” Lance nodded. He held out his hands in a kind gesture. “Let me and my buddy take you back to camp and patch you up. You’re losing a lot of blood.”

The omega flinched at Lance’s outstretched hands, causing Lance to freeze. “Camp? There’s more of you?”

“Yes,” Lance quirked a brow. “There’s five of us.”

“N-No,” the omega shook his head, scent turning distressed again. “I’m fine, I don’t need any help.” The dog, Kosmo, whined in reply. The omega stared his dog down for a few seconds before sighing. “You have my back, right?” He asked the brown dog. The dog just barked in reply. 

Seeming satisfied, the omega turned to Lance again. “I’ll allow you to patch me up here.”

“I can’t do that,” Lance shook his head. “I’m no doctor and we don’t have any supplies with us.” Seeing the omega getting worried again, Lance crouched down to appear less intimidating. “What’s your name?”

The omega blinked in surprise. “Umm...”

“It’s alright,” Lance smiled before pointing at himself. “The name’s Lance, and the big guy out there is Hunk, my best friend.” Both he and the omega flinched at hearing a gunshot. The omega backed further into the corner, wincing as it jostled his wounds. 

“It’s alright,” Lance soothed. “He’s protecting us from the zombies.” The omega’s tense body began to relax as Lance emanated calm pheromones. “What’s your name?”

To Lance’s horror, the omega’s eyes suddenly rolled to the back of his head as his body slumped. The dog let out a loud whine before slinking over to his owner and licking his hand. Lance inched forward, wary of the dog and his large teeth. When the dog didn’t attack him, Lance lifted the filthy red hoodie and surveyed the wounds. There were a few cuts along the omega’s chest, but there was one nasty laceration on his left side. Seeing all the blood, Lance took off his own blue hoodie and wrapped it around the large laceration, making sure to tighten it to slow the bleeding.

“Lance!” Hunk called frantically. “We gotta get out of here. I think I hear a Galra cycle.”

Lance moved quickly, scooping up the omega and making a mad dash out of the shed, the dog at his heels. “Let’s move.”

Hunk went first, covering the front while Lance held the omega close to his chest. He was a bit surprised at how thin and light the omega was. He didn’t seem to be much shorter than Lance, yet he felt as if he weighed under one hundred pounds. Lance figured this omega had been on his own for quite some time, struggling to survive in the new world. 

“Hold,” Hunk suddenly whispered. Lance froze, surprised when the dog stilled as well. 

Peering around the corner, Lance frowned at seeing a lone Galra walking the streets. They appeared to be looking for something as they cocked their gun and entered a house across the street. 

They waited a few moments before Hunk quietly continued on. As they reached the adjacent street, Lance saw the Galra’s beat up bike. It looked like it had been in an accident, with the front rim all bent. As they got closer, Lance’s nose wrinkled at smelling gunpowder. Why did it smell like that? Blinking, Lance realized he had smelled it before as he looked down at the omega in his arms. The same smell was coming from him. Was he in the explosion as well? Is that how he got these injuries?

They moved on, a bit faster after seeing the bike, Hunk adjusting the bag of supplies on his left shoulder. Lance knew it was heavy since they found quite a few canned goods in one house. 

“Doing okay, Buddy?” Land whispered as they passed a burned house. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” Hunk replied quietly. 

It seemed to take forever to reach their Jeep, Lance constantly looking down to see if the omega’s chest was still moving. He didn’t want the omega dying in his arms when they were so close to the car. Thankfully, the omega’s chest was still rising and falling, albeit jerkily. 

To Lance’s surprise, the dog followed Lance to the car and hopped in the backseat as Lance placed the omega across the seats back there. Lance carefully buckled up the omega’s legs and hips before getting in the passenger’s seat. As Hunk turned the car on, Lance made sure to roll down all the windows so that the omega’s heat smell wouldn’t cloud Hunk’s judgement. Though the smell was very faint, anything could set Hunk off if they weren’t careful. He was late for his rut anyway, though Lance chalked that up to being from lack of food. They had been running low on supplies for about a week, and hadn’t been able to go for a run since then due to the hurricane that blasted through.  
“Okay?” Lance asked again as they drove down the road. 

“It’s a little distracting, but I’m good,” Hunk said, turning to give his friend a comforting smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll get this omega to Coran in time. He’ll be patched up and good as new in a couple days.”

“I sure hope so,” Lance sighed as he glanced back at the unconscious omega, confused on why his scent seemed so familiar.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to be working a lot next week so I’m going to try to write as much as possible this weekend for you guys.

Thankfully, they reached the camp in record timing. Their pack leader, Takashi Shirogane, came out the front door at hearing them pull up. Lance jumped out of the car quickly, stunning Shiro.

“What’s the hurry?” He asked as Lance pulled open the back door.

“We found an injured omega,” Hunk explained as Lance struggled to unbuckle the thin male. “Actually this dog led us to him. We think they’ve been traveling together.”

“Uh, Hunk,” Shiro said, his voice sounding odd. “That isn’t a dog.”

“Huh?” Hunk said as he pulled the supplies out of the trunk.

“That’s a coyote,” Shiro said, seeming to back away from the animal as it jumped out of the backseat.

“Well, it’s really tame,” Hunk said with a shrug before pulling the supplies on his back. “He won’t hurt you.”

Shiro moved forward to get a look at the omega. As he neared, Lance turned, confused by the scent Shiro was emanating. “Shiro?”

“I know that smell,” Shiro breathed, pushing Lance aside to get a better look. “Oh my God.”

“What?” Lance asked in panic. “What is it?”

“I think that’s Keith,” Shiro said, reaching forward to brush some of the dirt off the omega’s face. 

“Are you sure?” Lance said, shock rushing through his limbs. “Keith? As in Keith Kogane?”

“Yeah,” Shiro nodded. “Well, I won’t know for sure until we clean him up. But I’m pretty sure it’s him.”

“Who’s Keith Kogane?” Hunk grunted as he moved to bring the supplies inside. 

“He was my rival at the Garrison,” Lance said, moving aside so Shiro could pick him up. “He was always trying to one up me.”

“Oh yeah,” Hunk chuckled. “I remember you complaining about him on occasion.”

“Let’s get him inside,” Shiro said as he hefted Keith into his arms. “We need Coran to look at him ASAP.” He paused, looking down at the omega. “Damn he’s light.”

“We think he’s been on his own for some time,” Lance said as he quickly followed Shiro inside. 

“Well, I haven’t seen him since the outbreak,” Shiro said, shrugging open a door and entering. “Coran, this omega is badly injured. We need his wounds cleaned and stitched up pronto.”

Lance stood just outside the door, watching as Shiro gently set the omega down on the metal table. Coran, the oldest member of their group and a nurse of sorts, approached the omega, seeming to be wary of the coyote. 

“The dog won’t hurt you,” Lance spoke up as he leaned against the doorframe. 

“Good to know,” their usually chipper friend said, though he was serious as he moved the soiled hoodie to the side and surveyed the omega’s wounds. “He has a few deep lacerations and some burns on his left hand. What exactly happened?”

“We don’t know,” Lance said. “The dog, or coyote, led us to him. We fond him like that. Though, I do have a theory.”

“I’m listening,” Coran said as he used some sharp scissors to removed the omega’s hoodie and black t-shirt. 

“Remember that loud boom we heard yesterday?” Lance said, watching as Coran turned to wash his hands and put gloves on. “Well, I think he was caught in the explosion.”

“Ah,” Coran nodded. “That is a good assumption. Though, we won’t know for sure until he wakes up.”

They were silent as Coran got to work. First, he grabbed a clean cloth and wet it with their clean water, slowly going over the omega’s body and cleaning the wounds and skin. As he reached the omega’s face, Shiro stopped him with his hand, taking over while Coran went to sew up the gashes. Lance watched as Shiro cleaned the omega’s face, instinctively leaning forward to get a look. 

“It is him,” Shiro breathed once he cleaned most of the blood and dirt off.

“Is this a good thing?” Lance asked, a bit of old rivalry settling into his chest. 

“Yes, it’s a great thing,” Shiro said, a relived laugh bubbling out of his throat. “I thought he was dead or worse, taken by the Galra. It’s a relief to know he’d been free all this time.”

“I didn’t realize Keith was an omega,” Lance admitted as he watched Keith’s face unconsciously contort in discomfort. “He didn’t wear a collar at the Garrison.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him,” Shiro sighed. “I told him to keep it on but he just used translucent scent blockers.” Shiro paused to run a hand through Keith’s matted hair. “He didn’t want to be seen a weak for being an omega.”

“Well, that makes sense,” Lance said, looking at Keith’s face with a frown. “He’s awfully pale.”

“Yes,” Coran interrupted. “I was actually going to tell you, Shiro. Keith has lost too much blood. He will need a transfusion.”

“Shit,” Shiro said, turning to give Coran a horrified look, “We don’t have the same blood type.”

“It would be dangerous to place an alpha’s blood into an omega anyway,” Coran said. Lance inched forward to look Keith over. He felt a pull toward the omega for some reason. “We’d need a beta or omega.”

“What’s his blood type?” Lance suddenly asked.

“Umm, AB negative,” Shiro mumbled, confusion evident in his voice. 

“I’m O negative,” Lance said, turning to stare seriously at Shiro. “I know how much he means to you. If it’ll save him, I’ll do it.”

“Lance...” Shiro trailed off, seeming to choke a bit. “Thank you.” He gripped Lance’s hand with his metal one. 

It took very little time for Coran to take a pint of blood from Lance. Even so, Lance flinched at the big needle. He hated needles, which made what he was doing all the more serious. He didn’t want his old rival to die, even if Keith used to annoy the heck out of him. Everyone deserved to live, except maybe the government and galra. 

Lance was woozy by the time they were done. As he stood, he lost his balance, slamming into a side table. Shiro steadied him before leading him out to the living area where Hunk was taking out supplies. 

“Hunk, watch Lance for me,” Shiro said as he pushed Lance into an old arm chair. “He just gave a transfusion for Keith.”

“Keith?” A surprised voice said from the left. Lance looked over to see a pair of round glasses glinting at him. “As in Keith Kogane?”

“Yep,” Lance said as he leaned back into the chair.

“So it was him,” Hunk said as he pulled out several bandage boxes. 

“Yes, so if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to him,” Shiro said before leaving the room rather hastily. 

Lance sighed as he watched Hunk sort the supplies. “Need any help?”

“Nah, stay put,” Hunk said, startling as the coyote suddenly entered the room. It looked at Hunk before letting out a whine. “Think he’s hungry?”

“Or thirsty,” Lance shrugged. 

“Probably both,” their friend, Pidge said, tilting her glasses. “He looks rather thin.”

“Well, you should see Keith,” Lance said, disgusted at the appearance of the malnourished omega. “He hasn’t been taking care of himself well.”

“Who are you to judge?” Hunk said with a chuckle. “You’re skinny too.”

“That’s because his instincts have been telling him to give me his food,” Pidge sighed as she put a book down. “My heat’s coming up.”

“Ah, well that explains it,” Hunk said, snorting as he saw Lance glare at him. “Sorry Lance, but you know how you get. Your beta instincts tell you to take care of Pidge whenever her heat comes. You even get rather nasty with us alphas.”

“Imagine how he’ll be now that there are two omegas,” Pidge said with a smirk.

“Ugh, there will be no reasoning with him,” Hunk groaned, sending a smirk Lance’s way, “Especially now that Lance has a soft spot for Keith.”

“I do not!” Lance squawked, flailing in the chair. 

“Oh please,” Pidge said as she turned back to her book. “I could smell it on you the first time you entered the room.”

“Th-that’s not true,” Lance said, frown in place. “I’m just glad he’s alive, for Shiro’s sake.”

“You didn’t imprint on him, did you?” Hunk suddenly asked, dropping what he was holding to stare at Lance seriously. “You know what that can do to a beta.”

“No, I sure as hell did not imprint,” Lance said, crossing his arms. 

“Good,” Hunk sighed with relief. “Because we don’t know for sure if Keith will make it.”

“Yeah, I know,” Lance said, frowning as he thought about how they had found Keith. Something didn’t sit right with him. “Why was he in that explosion?”

“Who knows,” Hunk shrugged, pausing to grab a bowl from the kitchen. “Maybe he set it so that that Galra couldn’t get him.”

“Maybe,” Lance hummed. “Guess we won’t know till he wakes up.”

Hunk bent down, pouring a bottle of water into one of the small bowls. Placing it on the ground, the coyote instantly lapped it up as if he hadn’t had water in days.

“Poor thing, he was thirsty,” Hunk cooed.

“We might have to look for some dog food,” Lance said as he watched the coyote. “I know canned dog food is easy to come by these days.”

“True,” Hunk said, “I don’t see people eating it, unless they were desperate.”

“Like Keith,” Lance said, frowning again as he thought of the omega. 

If he was being honest, he had a man crush on the guy, ever since he met him at the Garrison. Lance wasn’t sure what drew him to the pilot. Maybe it was his emo demeanor and need for space. Or maybe it was his looks. Whatever the case, Lance had started falling hard. Then the apocalypse happened...

Lance sighed again, causing Pidge to send him a glare. “Here,” she threw a newspaper at him. “Read the funny’s.”

Lance huffed but decided to amuse her. He needed a distraction anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m soooo sorry it took me so long to write a new chapter. I got so busy with work, then my new puppy got spayed, and my dad was rushed to the hospital with a HUGE kidney stone, all in one week. It was hectic. 
> 
> My birthday is this Sunday so I’m not sure when I’ll be posting another chapter. Maybe some time next week. But don’t worry, I’ve got this story all planned out and I won’t abandon it, especially since so many people like it :)

A few hours passed before Shiro came into the room. “He’ll pull through,” he said, sighing tiredly as he collapsed into a recliner. “It may take a day or two for him to wake, during which time I’ll stay with him. Hunk, you have point until I’m able to lead again.”

“Alright,” Hunk said with a nod.

“Lance, take care of the coyote,” Shiro said with a small smirk. “I think this guy helped Keith survive this long.”

“Yeah okay,” Lance sighed dramatically. “You know I’m not a dog person.”

“I’m sure you can manage,” Shiro said, smirk still in place. “After all, we’re descendants of wolves.”

“Where’s Allura?” Lance suddenly asked as he looked around and noticed their white-haired companion wasn’t there.

“She and Shay went on a quick first aids run,” Shiro said. “There was a small shack not too far back that had a ton of bandages and medicine. They should be back soon.”

“Will they be okay?” Lance frowned, thinking of that Galra that was out there.

“Well, Allura’s a beta, and Shay has scent blockers on,” Shiro said. “They don’t have much of a scent. I think they’ll be alright.”

“Shiro, come in, over,” Allura’s voice sounded through the radio they had in the room.

Shiro went over to the talk radio and picked up the comm. “Allura? What’s going on, over.”

“The shack is empty,” Allura’s voice crackled. “It seems someone beat us to it.”

“Shit,” Shiro slammed his metal hand to the table, accidentally breaking off a corner of the wooden surface. Sighing, he spoke, “Just come back. We’ll find supplies some other time.”

“But doesn’t Keith—“

“Let’s not worry about it now,” Shiro interrupted. “There’s only two of you out right now. It’s safer if you come back.”

“I can go meet them,” Hunk offered. “I think I saw a small convenience store on our last run.”

“Yeah, I remember it,” Lance said with a nod. “I’ll go too.” He made to stand up, only to get really lightheaded. He swayed on his feet before collapsing back in the chair.

“Stay put,” Shiro said to him as he placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “You’re in no condition to go out right now.” Shiro went over to their supplies and grabbed an orange. “Eat this and relax.” He threw the orange to Lance, who shakily caught it. “Hunk and I will go. I have a list that Coran needs anyway.”

“Alright,” Lance said, though he frowned. “Just be careful.”

“Watch out for Galra,” Pidge piped up. “They seem to be really active lately.”

“Picking up some chatter?” Shiro asked as he watched her pick up a beat up Galra radio.

“Not quite,” Pidge shook her head. “I keep trying to get this to work, but it’s being stubborn. I just know from what Lance told me.”

Lance nodded. “I’ve seen quite a few vans out. I think they’re looking for omegas.”

Shiro paled slightly. “Well, I’m glad you found Keith when you did.” He heaved a heavy sigh before running a hand through his whitening hair. “We need to stick together and watch our omegas.”

“Right,” Hunk agreed easily. “Should one of us stay here?”

“No,” Shiro shook his head. “I’m sure Lance and Coran can hold the fort while we’re gone.”

“Hey, what about me?” Pidge said with a frown.

“You’re our secret weapon,” Shiro said with a wink. “Just keep working on that radio. It could come in handy.”

“Fine,” Pidge huffed, crossing her arms.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that,” Shiro walked over and bent down, pressing his forehead against Pidge’s. “I promised Matt I’d keep you safe,” he whispered barely loud enough for Lance to hear. Lance blinked away his sadness. “That’s a promise I intend to keep.”

“Shiro,” Pidge rested an arm on his bicep. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I know,” Shiro closed his eyes in pain. “I know, I just can’t get past it. The look on his face...”

“We’ll find him,” Pidge’s voice became hard. “I’ll get this radio working and we’ll figure out where the omegas are being kept.”

Shiro took a deep breath, his scent turning from sad to neutral. “Good,” he straightened and turned to give Lance a smile. “Look out for Keith while I’m gone. If he wakes, he may recognize you from the Garrison.”

“Alright,” Lance said. “Be careful out there.”

“Will do,” Shiro nodded before heading over and grabbing a large sack. He threw it over his shoulder before giving his pack mates a comforting smile. “We should be back in time for dinner. Fix us something amazing.”

“We found some pasta and Spam,” Hunk said with a smirk. “Maybe you can make something with that.”

“Ha ha,” Lance said, rolling his eyes. “You know it’s impossible to make Spam taste good.”

“Well, you’re almost as good of a cook as I am,” Hunk said with a shrug. “I’m sure you can come up with something.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Lance scoffed, giving his friend a wink. “I’m sure Pidge and I will come up with something creative.”

Hunk’s face paled at that, causing Pidge to cackle. “Bet you wish you were staying behind now,” she giggled at his affronted look.

“Hunk, let’s go,” Shiro said, hiding a smile. “The others are waiting for us.”

“Yeah, okay,” Hunk sighed as he pulled an empty bag over his shoulder. “Take care, you guys.”

“You too, Hunk,” Lance said with a worried smile.

“Let me know if Keith wakes,” Shiro said as he tapped onto the walkie talkie he had in one of his hip bags. “We’ll try not to travel out of range.”

“Will do,” Lance said with a nod. “If you find any ladies magazines, get them for me.” He winked as Hunk rolled his eyes.

“See you later,” Hunk replied as he and Shiro left the room, heading to the front room to grab their guns.

Lance sighed as he heard the door close. He hated when the pack split up like this. The waiting game was always the worst. He glanced over as Pidge tinkered with the old radio. Well, at least he wasn’t alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I’m so terribly sorry it’s been so long. I work in retail and it got hectic during the holidays. Then I was out of town for a while, got sick, and a lot of stuff’s happened.
> 
> But I finally had time to write and I’m so happy I did! I hope you all like it. Ill try to update once a week or so, but we’ll see. I’m currently working on a novel and that comes first.
> 
> Thank you all for being so patient. I really appreciate it.

Keith let out a groan as he came back into consciousness. He could feel Kosmo laying at his feet. Maybe they were back at the safe house? Keith wasn’t sure; he couldn’t quite remember what happened last. Wasn’t he on the search for water? Shit! Wasn’t there an explosion?

Keith tried to sit up, but he didn’t get very far. Groaning, Keith hunched up, his left side giving him a sharp pain.

“Try not to move too quickly,” a male’s voice said all chipper.

Keith froze. His eyes flew open as he quickly gazed around the room. Nothing looked familiar, nothing smelled familiar either. He accidentally let out a scared whimper, causing this mustached man beside him to inhale sharply.

“We won’t hurt you,” the man said softly as he reached over to grab a bottle of water. Keith was wary at first, until he realized the cap hadn’t been opened yet. He screwed it off and immediately gulped down the whole bottle.

“You’ve been on your own for a while, haven’t you,” the man said sadly as he placed two fingers on Keith’s wrist and looked at his watch. “You’re rather thin.”

Keith remained silent, glancing down at Kosmo. Well, the dog looked comfortable, which eased Keith a bit. Kosmo would’ve been on edge if they were in danger.

“Lance, can you come in here please?” The orange-haired male said after he checked Keith’s pulse and wrote something down in a notebook. “Let’s get you something to eat, alright?”

“Who...are you?” Keith croaked out, wincing at the sound of his rough voice.

“I am Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe,” the man said with a kind smile. “And you’re Keith Kogane, right?”

“How’d you know—“

“Oh, he’s awake,” a somewhat familiar voice said. Keith looked to the door, where a gangly teen was leaning against the doorframe. “I better alert Shiro.”

“Shiro?” Keith gasped, wincing as it hurt his side. He gripped it in pain.

“Be careful there,” Coran said. “No sudden movements.”

“Do you mean Takashi Shirogane?” Keith said, ignoring Coran’s words as he struggled to sit up.

“Yeppers,” Coran grinned as the gangly teen left the room. “He’s the leader.”

“He’s...alive?” Tears reached Keith’s eyes.

“Oh my,” Coran said as he hurried over. “Is your wound hurting?”

“Shiro, was my mentor,” Keith explained as he struggled to get Kosmo off. Kosmo let out an annoyed huff before jumping off the bed.

“Whoa there,” Coran pressed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “You’ve had a blood transfusion. You can’t go anywhere.”

“I need to see Shiro,” Keith said, giving Coran a warning growl. “Let go.”

“Chill out,” the gangly teen from before said. “Shiro said to stay put.”

“Who are you?” Keith asked. “Where am I?”

“Uh, the name’s Lance,” the guy blinked, smelling offended. Keith just stared. “We were at the Garrison together. You were my rival.”

“Oh I remember you,” Keith let out a pained chuckle. “You’re a cargo pilot.”

“Umm, excuse you,” Lance huffed. “I was a cargo pilot till you flunked out.”

“Ah, you took my place,” Keith said with a grin. “How’s it feel being a replacement.”

“Shut up,” Lance growled, taking a step forward.

Feeling threatened, Keith scooted back, accidentally letting out a whine again. Kosmo got up and growled at Keith’s anxiousness. Lance froze, seeming to realize what he was doing.

“Sorry,” he said as he stepped back. “I’m supposed to be comforting you till Shiro returns, not freaking you out.”

Keith stared at the guy, blinking at noticing a white bandage on his left arm. “Did you...give the transfusion?”

Lance glanced down at his arm. “Yeah,” he said quietly. At Keith’s confused stare, Lance elaborated. “I was the only match.”

“Oh,” now Keith felt guilty for egging the guy on. “Well, thank you.” Maybe this guy wasn’t so bad.

“Keith?” A familiar voice whispered.

Keith whipped his head to the door, noticing a small figure there. “Pidge?”

“Oh my God,” Pidge sprinted toward him, throwing her arms out.

“Pidge wait,” Lance quickly stopped her, wrapping his thin arms around her waist.

“Let go, Lance,” Pidge said with a huff. “I thought Keith was dead.”

“Be gentle,” Lance said, surprising Keith. Didn’t this guy see Keith as his rival? Why was he being so nice, then? “He has a lot of injuries.”

“Oh, right,” Pidge said sheepishly. “Sorry Keith, I’m just glad you’re alive. I thought you died during the epidemic.”

“Nope, I survived,” Keith said with a small smile. “Glad to see you’re okay too, though I knew you would be.”

“Nobody underestimates a Holt,” Pidge said proudly, puffing out her chest. Lance let her go. “Except a McClain.” She turned to stick her tongue out at Lance.

“So, is Matt with Shiro then?” Keith asked as he leaned back on his elbows, being mindful of his wounds.

Pidge suddenly paled, Lance catching her as she went limp.

“Pidge?” Keith said with worry.

“Sorry,” Pidge whispered. “My heat’s coming up.” She paused to take a deep breath, Lance seeming to have a firm grip on her. “Matt...got taken.”

“What?” Keith’s heart began to race. “When?”

“A year ago,” Pidge nearly whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Pidge,” Keith said softly, wishing he could reach out to her. “I’m so sorry.”

Pidge just shrugged, jerking out of Lance’s grasp. “I’m going to find him,” she said with determination. “I’ve been working on an old Galra radio. I’ll get it to work, then we’ll be able to hear where all the omegas are being taken.”

“I have noticed the Galra around more lately,” Keith said. “Been getting a few close calls.”

“Like with the explosion?” Lance asked from the doorway.

“How’d you know about that?” Keith asked in surprise, wincing as Coran checked one of his lacerations.

“We could hear it from here,” Pidge scoffed as she headed back out the door. “I’m going to get started on dinner.”

“Hold on,” Lance called as he headed after her. “You can’t even cook.”

“Are they always like that?” Keith asked the medic as he pulse was taken again.

“Pretty much,” Coran said with a chuckle. “It’s nice though.”

“Yeah, especially in a world like this,” Keith mumbled.

“So, how are you feeling?” Coran asked as he felt around Keith’s ribs. “Are your ribs sore.”

Keith suddenly let out a yelp when Coran moved near the laceration. “That hurt.”

“Hmm,” Coran gently felt around the laceration. “You may have a bruised rib or two. Why were you in that explosion anyway?”

“Well, it wasn’t the Galra,” Keith said with a bitter chuckle.

“The Government?” Coran gasped. Keith nodded. “Well, you were very lucky to have escaped.”

Keith looked over at Kosmo, who was gnawing on a rabbit’s rib. “Luck had nothing to do with it,” he said with a fond smile.

“I must ask,” Coran said as he put his supplies away. “How did you tame a coyote?”

“Oh, he was never really wild,” Keith said as he slowly got off the bed. Coran protested but Keith ignored him. He went over to Kosmo and scratched behind his large ears. “I raised him from a puppy.”

“You really need to rest,” Coran finally burst out as he twiddled his mustache nervously. “It’s not good for your body to be up and about too soon.”

“Well, Keith’s always been that way,” a masculine voice chuckled from the door. “Stubborn as a mule.”

Keith whipped his head up as tears reached his eyes. “Shiro?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, funny thing. I hit my wrist pretty hard at work yesterday and almost said “quiznak” lol. Then I realized no one would know what that meant and stopped myself at the last minute.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the new chapter!

“Shiro,” Keith whimpered as he quickly got to his feet. He let out a pain yelp as his wounds protested. He fell, strong familiar arms catching him.

“It _is_ you,” Shiro whispered before he crushed Keith’s smaller body to his chest. “I thought you were dead, or worse, captured by the Galra or Government.”

“I thought you were dead too,” Keith whispered. “They said the mission was compromised and that you were missing.”

“The Galra had me,” Shiro said with a grimace.

“Oh shit,” Keith said, for the first time noticing that Shiro now had a mechanical arm. “I’m glad you came out in mostly one piece.”

“The thing is, I don’t remember much,” Shiro said. “I escaped, but that’s all I remember.” He paused to rub his face in Keith’s grimy hair. “I’m just glad you’re alive.”

“And I stink,” Keith said with a frown before a thought occurred to him. “Does Pidge have a collar?”

“No,” Shiro said as he finally pulled back to look Keith over. “Why do you ask?”

“She said her heat’s coming up,” Keith said. He thumbed his own stainless steel collar. “She can have mine if you still have the key.”

Shiro smiled as he pulled out a chain from under his shirt. The keys were attached to the end. “I could never get rid of them,” he admitted as he moved to unlock the collar.

Keith sighed as the collar fell away. He immediately rubbed at the raw areas on his neck. “Thanks.”

“Bet that feels better,” Shiro said with a chuckle. “I know you’re still on your heat, so after Coran cleans you up, I’m going to put the collar back on. At least until your heat is over. We do have a couple alphas in our group.” Seeing Keith’s pout, Shiro chuckled. “I just don’t want anything bad to happen. You won’t need to wear that collar once your heat is over, I promise.”

“Fine,” Keith sighed. “I’ll hold you to your promise.”

Keith blushed slightly as Shiro stared at him. Shiro must’ve noticed for he blinked and smiled. “Sorry,” he said, voice breaking. “It’s just so good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too,” Keith cursed as his eyes teared up. “Damn hormones.”

Shiro chuckled before helping Keith back to the metal table. “Once Coran cleans you, we’ll put you in a room. But for now, I’ll go grab you some food. You look like you’re starving.”

“And water?” Keith asked hopefully, mouth parched.

“Of course,” Shiro nodded. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

As Shiro left, Keith felt himself panic. “Shiro, wait!”

Shiro turned, a concerned frown on his face. “I won’t be long,” he said soothingly as he walked back over.

Keith’s knees were starting to shake from fatigue. Shiro grabbed Keith under his armpits and helped him back onto the table. He then rubbed his wrists together before scenting Keith’s neck glands. Keith sucked in a sharp breath, eyes slipping closed.

“I’ll just be a few minutes,” Shiro whispered in his greasy hair, planting a kiss there. He moved back to stare into Keith’s indigo eyes. “You’re safe here. And Coran is the best doctor we have. He won’t hurt you.”

Keith just nodded, turning his eyes to Kosmo, who was sitting in the back corner of the room. He’d be safe as long as Kosmo was there.

“Stay put,” Shiro said with a chuckle, causing Keith to look over at him. Shiro had an amused smile on his face. “I know how you are.” He turned to Kosmo then. “Make sure he stays in this room.” The coyote barked in reply, as if he understood Shiro’s command. Keith wouldn’t be surprised if he did.

“Fine,” Keith huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Shiro let out another chuckle before leaving the room. Keith cocked his head as he heard voices in the hall. His attention was placed elsewhere, however, when Coran stood in front of him with a wet washcloth.

“Are you alright with me cleaning you up?” Coran asked as his eyes roamed Keith’s shirtless front.

In reply, Keith spread his arms out. “Have at it,” he said.

Even though it was just a sponge bath, getting most of the grime off his heated skin felt amazing. Eventually, Coran had Keith lie back on the table and washed his hair in a basin.

“Seems you haven’t been cleaned in a while,” Coran mused as he struggled with a mat in Keith’s long hair. “I may have to give you a trim.”

Keith sighed sadly. “Will you be cutting it all off?”

“Not if you don’t want me to,” Coran said. “Just to get the mats out that I won’t be able to detangle with a brush.”

“Thank you...for doing this,” Keith mumbled.

“Of course,” Coran tittered. “Any friend of Shiro’s is a friend of mine. Besides,” here Coran paused, amusement tinting his scent, “You were starting to smell.”

Keith chuckled, then winced as it jostled his wounds. “Fair enough,” he replied.

Suddenly smelling a familiar scent, Keith turned his head to the door and saw Shiro with a tray in his hands. Keith could smell the deer meat from where he was laying, and his stomach growled accordingly.

Shiro chuckled. “You can eat once Coran finishes with your hair.” He set the tray on a nearby side table before heading to look Keith over. “You look much better, more like yourself.” He ran a hand through Keith’s wet hair. “Quite a few bad knots in your hair.”

“Well, I haven’t exactly had time to worry about my appearance lately,” Keith huffed, sticking his lip out in a pout.

Shiro just smiled fondly. “Were you by yourself this whole time?”

“Well, I had Kosmo,” Keith shrugged with a wince. “But no human companions.”

“Ah, so I’m guessing you shouldn’t meet everyone else yet,” Shiro pondered as he continued to run a hand through Keith’s hair. Keith closed his eyes in comfort. “You’re also in heat, so now wouldn’t be a good time anyway. Maybe once your heat is over...”

“Excuse me, Shiro,” Coran apologized, “I need to dry and cut his hair.”

“Oh, right,” Shiro blinked and moved his hand away, causing Keith to whine in need. “It’s okay, Keith. I’m still here.”

Keith opened his eyes and allowed Coran and Shiro to help him sit up. Sitting up caused Keith to sway suddenly, nearly falling back until Shiro caught him.

“You okay?” Shiro asked worriedly before putting his human hand over Keith’s forehead.

“Just tired,” Keith mumbled. “And hungry.”

“Oh,” Shiro turned and grabbed the tray. It looked like some kind of bean concoction. Keith wrinkled his nose. It’s good,” Shiro laughed. “It may look bad, but it tastes great. Just give it a try.”

Keith ignored the food for the time being, instead reaching for the tall glass of water. He gulped it all down in one go, sighing and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked over to see Shiro staring at him with wide eyes.

“Wow, you must’ve been thirsty,” Shiro said. “That was half a liter of water.”

“It’s been rough,” Keith shrugged, flinching at hearing Coran snip some hair away. “Clean water is hard to come by.”

“That’s true,” Shiro mused. “I’ll go get you some more.”

Keith whined again, causing Shiro to turn with a frown. “I won’t be long. Want me to get someone you know to keep you company?”

Thinking of Pidge, Keith shrugged. “Guess that’s fine.”

“Alright,” Shiro stepped out of the room and almost immediately, there were voices.

Expecting Pidge, Keith nearly groaned at seeing Lance saunter in. “What’s up?” The skinny beta grinned as he plopped into a chair at the corner and leaned down to pet Kosmo. “Shiro said you wanted some company.”

“I was expecting Pidge,” Keith blurted out before he could stop himself. Coran just chuckled from behind him. “Sorry, that was rude.”

Lace leaned forward and frowned with an eyebrow raised. “You get one free pass since you’ve been alone for so long,” he said with a shrug, before reclining back in the chair with a smirk. “Everyone wants The Lance as company at some point. You should consider yourself lucky to be in my presence.”

Keith just scoffed before crossing his arms. “Don’t flatter yourself,” he said.

“All done,” Coran suddenly piped up as he placed the scissors down. “We need to find you some clothes, then get you in bed.”

Keith stared down at his dinner with a frown. He must’ve left his bag of belongings at the bomb site. At least he still had his mother’s knife and sword set.

“Already taken care of, Coran,” Lance said. Keith looked up just in time to see Lance wink. “I’ve got a few of my clothes that I don’t need anymore. My clothes are probably the best fit right now.”

“True,” Coran nodded as he came around to Keith’s left. “Alright, young one, let’s get you on your feet.” He paused. “Are you going to eat?”

“Once I’m in bed,” Keith promised as Shiro walked back in.

“Oh, moving time already?” He asked, walking forward to help Keith off the table. “Lance, can you grab his dinner for me please?”

“Sure thing,” Lance said.

Keith let out a pained grunt as he took his first step. He had screwed up his left leg in the blast. It was twisted.

“Hang on,” Shiro said before Keith felt arms under his back and knees. He let out a surprised squeak as Shiro picked him up. It had been way too long since Shiro did this. “There we go.”

Keith clung to Shiro’s white shirt as he was carried out of the med bay and down the hall. He glanced around as he was carried. They passed a couple of bedrooms and a half bath before Shiro walked into a room on the left. It seemed to have once been a little boy’s, with old toy cars littering the floor. Shiro almost tripped over one, letting out an annoyed huff.

“Lance, I thought I told you to clean up this room,” Shiro said with disappointment lacing his tone.

“Yeah, see I meant to do it yesterday,” Lance began, “But then Allura came in with that wound and I forgot.”

“Well, you can spend the next few minutes cleaning while I go eat dinner with Hunk and Coran,” Shiro said as he gently placed Keith onto the twin bed.

“Awe, come on Shiro,” Lance whined like a child, causing Keith to roll his eyes.

“No Lance,” Shiro interrupted. “I told you twice to clean it for Keith’s stay, but you still haven’t done it. I’m leaving Keith to watch you and make sure you clean it correctly.”

“Yes Mother,” Lance snapped, Keith surprised to smell something odd coming off of him.

“Lance—“ Shiro warned.

“I’m getting tired of you nagging me all the time,” Lance spoke over Shiro as he rudely set Keith’s tray in his lap. “I get that you’re an alpha and the leader of our pack, but that doesn’t mean you have to nag me like you’re my mother.”

“Look Lance,” Shiro sighed as he walked forward and placed a hand on Lance’s drooping shoulder. “I understand that you feel a bit useless right now, but you do have a purpose in this pack.”

“Yeah, as a cleaning lady,” Lance huffed.

“No,” Shiro said as Keith watched on awkwardly. “You keep everyone laughing.” Lance peeked up to see Shiro’s smile. “That’s really important these days. You also cook some of our meals and keep an eye on Pidge. You are important. You just have trouble listening and doing what you’re told.”

“I don’t know why,” Lance frowned. “It’s been especially bad these past few days.”

“Right after you saved Keith,” Shiro slowly realized. Both males turned to stare at Keith, who had been slowly eating his bean stew or whatever it was.

“What?” Keith huffed as he set down his spoon.

“Have you been feeling any different lately?” Shiro asked.

“Not really,” Keith shrugged. “ I’ve been unconscious most of the time.”

“Right,” Shiro mumbled before shaking his head. “Lance, please clean the room right now.”

“Fine,” Lance huffed as he bent down to pick up some LEGO’s.”

Shiro headed for Keith with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that,” he said as he messed with Keith’s newly cut hair. “He’s been acting different lately.”

“He can still hear you,” Lance snapped from behind them.

“Anyway,” Shiro’s gaze suddenly turned serious. “Let me know if you suddenly start feeling different.”

“What do you mean?” Keith asked in confusion.

“Like mood swings, or you find yourself doing something you never do,” Shiro said.

“Umm, okay,” Keith said with an eyebrow raised. “Why?”

Shiro looked over at Lance. “I’ll explain it later,” he said. “For now, get some rest.” He paused to look down at Keith’s nearly empty plate. “Are you done?”

“Yeah,” Keith lifted the tray and Shiro took it. “Thanks.”

“Let me put your collar back on,” Shiro suddenly said as he placed the tray on a small desk and pulled the collar out of his back pocket. “Better to be safe than sorry.”

“Right,” Keith lifted his chin up so Shiro could fasten the lock.

“Just until your heat is over,” Shiro reminded before patting Keith’s head.

“Alright, if you promise,” Keith nodded as he stared into his mentor’s eyes.

“I promise,” Shiro said with a fond smile. He reached over to pick up the tray again. “Get some rest.”

With that, Shiro left the room. Keith watched Lance fuss for a while, but his eyelids quickly became heavy. He felt Kosmo jump onto the bed and opened his arms so the canine could snuggle up next to him. He could hear a gentle humming as he closed his eyes. It was soothing. Pretty soon he fell asleep, unaware of a pair of blue eyes staring at him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took me so long to update this story. I had to be in the right frame of mind in order for it to turn out the way I wanted. 
> 
> Anyway, please leave me some comments so I know that you are enjoying this story :)
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos!

Lance watched as the coyote jumped onto the bed. He winced at first, expecting the movement to jostle Keith’s wounds. However, Keith just opened his arms and the coyote cuddled up next to him. Lance hadn’t realized it, but he had been humming while he cleaned, and it seemed to ease Keith to sleep. Seeing Keith calm because of something he did made Lance feel pretty good. Anything he could do to help the omega would make his inner beta happy. Not to mention Keith was hot.

Wait, what?

Lance blinked, accidentally stepping on a lego in his haste to leave the room. Cursing softly so as not to wake Keith, he made a beeline for the kitchen, where Hunk would undoubtedly be cooking.

Sure enough, his trusty best friend was at it in the kitchen, using glowing embers in the oven to bake some protein bread that would hopefully last them a week. It had some vanilla protein powder in it that Shay had found a few weeks back. It may have sounded gross, but Hunk made it taste amazing. Besides, they could all use as much protein as possible, especially Keith. Keith...

“Hunk, my buddy, my alpha friend,” Lance said nervously as he flopped down on a bar stool.

“What?” Hunk asked with an eyebrow raised, turning to blow into the red embers. “What did you do now?”

“Why do you always assume that I did something?” Lance whined as he swung back and forth on the rotating seat.

“You have that sound to your voice,” Hunk said with a shrug as he poured the last of their flour into a bowl. Hmm, they’d have to go find more soon. “You always start off that way when you did something wrong.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I did something,” Lance trailed off, rotating in the seat more jerkily.

“Okay, then what happened?” Hunk added the wet ingredients to the dry before using a whisk to mix it all together. All the while, his kind brown eyes were gazing at Lance, giving him his undivided attention.

“It’s just...” Lance trailed off, pondering. What were these weird feelings he was having? His heart did jumps in his chest whenever he was near Keith, and his stomach made a tugging sensation, as if trying to draw him closer. Plus, he felt overly protective of the omega, almost as if...

Realization suddenly dawned on Lance, causing his stomach to twist.

“Lance?” Hunk’s concerned voice snapped Lance out of this thoughts. “Are you okay? You smell stressed.”

“I just realized,” Lance breathed out shakily, running a hand through his hair before looking up at his best friend with wide eyes. “I think—I mean I’ve only read about it in history books—but I think Keith may be my—”

“Soulmate,” Shiro finished as he entered the room, causing Lance to jump.

“I swear Shiro,” Lance began as he turned to face the alpha, “I had no idea when we picked him up...I just thought I was being protective because he was in heat...I never thought for a minute—”

“It’s okay Lance,” Shiro chuckled, holding up his hands in a placating matter. “I could tell the moment you brought Keith in. Plus, Hunk mentioned your ‘rivalry’ from the Garrison. It actually wasn’t you trying to be better than Keith, you were just trying to impress him, show him that you were worth his time.”

“Huh,” Lance collapsed back in the chair, scratching at his medium brown hair. “That actually makes sense.”

“I’ve known for a while too,” Hunk said from behind Lance. Lance turned to see him grinning. “It was pretty obvious.”

“To everyone but me!” Lance exclaimed.

“You were probably in denial,” Hunk chuckled as he placed the bread mixture into the oven. “It sounds like you to be.”

Lance turned back to Shiro, who looked amused. “But I thought soulmates didn’t happen anymore. Not since World War II.”

“There have been exceptions,” Shiro said with a nonchalant shrug, though his scent suddenly turned bitter with sadness.

“Shiro?” Lance said softly, unsure what caused the sudden change in their leader.

“Usually, the higher status mate tries to impress the lower one,” Shiro began. “Then they start feeling their mate’s feelings and confuse it as their own at first. Then, the tugging in the gut starts up.”

“You act like you speak from personal experience,” Hunk mumbled sadly.

“Yes,” a fond smile reached Shiro’s face, causing it to contort slightly in sadness. “I have a soulmate.”

“Matt,” Lance realized.

Shiro just nodded.

“Can you feel him?” Lance asked, making a note to tell Pidge later, after she got back from a quick scout mission with the other two girls of their pack.

“Yes,” Shiro said. “It’s faint, but I can tell he’s still alive, at least.”

“Can you...can you feel his pain?” Lance asked softly, stomach clenching as he felt a sharp twinge in his ribs, likely the same place where Keith was injured.

“Not at this point,” Shiro shook his head with a frown. “We’ve been apart too long. And he may be too far away. It’s hard to tell.”

Lance just hummed, mind whirring. If Keith was his soulmate, shouldn’t Keith be feeling a draw toward him too?

As if sensing his question, Shiro said, “Keith may be in too much pain or too tired to realize the connection...for now. He will probably start to feel it once he’s better.”

“What should I do?” Lance asked the man he looked up to like an older brother.

Shiro gave Lance a gentle smile, walking forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. “I would follow your instincts,” he told him, giving Lance’s shoulder a squeeze. “They’ll lead you down the right path. However,” he gave a bit of a mischievous grin, “I wouldn’t try telling Keith what to do. He’s too hard headed for that.”

“But he’s an omega,” Hunk spoke up in confusion.

“He’s unlike any omega I’ve ever met,” Shiro chuckled fondly. “He’s pretty independent. I wouldn’t try taming him. That’s not what he needs.”

“Then what does he need?” Lance asked almost desperately. “I want to be able to help him and support him any way I can.”

“That is why I trust you with him, Lance,” Shiro smiled. “You’ll give Keith exactly what he needs.”

“Which is?” Lance prompted.

Before Shiro could reply, there was a commotion as Allura, Shay, and Pidge waltzed through the door, carrying quite a few squirrels and even a couple rabbits.

“Oh Hunk,” Pidge sang as she threw the rabbits on the counter. “We’ve got more for that stew you made the other day.”

“That’s great,” Hunk said, scent turning pleased. “That’s the most nutritious thing I can make, and Keith will need the nourishment,”

“He barely ate his dinner,” Shiro piped up with a frown.

“Probably too tired,” Hunk said with a shrug. “He’ll probably eat more once he gets a good night’s rest.”

“Ooh, are you making that bread?” Shay asked as she walked over to her boyfriend.

“Yes, I am,” Hunk blushed slightly as Shay rubbed his large bicep.

“Good, I believe Pidge will need it,” Allura spoke as she placed the squirrels on the round table in the dining area. “Her heat is coming up.”

“Keith offered his collar to her once his is over,” Shiro said as he headed over to look at the squirrels. “These squirrels are rather tiny.”

“We think they were babies,” Pidge grimaced slightly, probably feeling bad at having to kill baby animals. “They’re probably in their teenage years right now.”

“Oh well,” Shiro picked one up. “At least we’ll have some meat.”

Lance suddenly let out a gasp as something exploded across his vision. He clutched his head, letting out a groan as a headache blossomed behind his eyes.

“Lance?” He felt a mechanical hand on his shoulder. “Lance, breathe.”

Lance struggled to suck in much needed air as he began to see something behind his closed eyelids. It was a woman, skin and bones, and zombies were ripping through what flesh she had left as she stared at him with wide eyes. She was mouthing something desperately before her eyes turned dim and she stopped moving.

Lance let out another pained gasp as the vision was gone almost as soon as it had appeared. Something...some smell...was pulling him out of it.

Opening his eyes, Lance struggled to stand, but a firm hand on his shoulder kept him in place.

“Lance relax,” Shiro’s calm voice said.

“But, something’s wrong,” Lance grunted as he struggled to stand again. “Can’t you smell it?”

“No,” Shiro said softly. “But you need to calm down.”

“No, I have to go,” Lance began to panic as he struggled out of the stool again. He pushed at Shiro’s arm. “Let me go.” He looked up at Shiro desperately.

“Shiro,” Shiro looked over at Hunk. They seemed to share a silent conversation before Shiro nodded and removed his shoulder.

Immediately, Lance jumped to his feet and headed for the little boy’s room. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt like he needed to be there. The tugging of his gut was unbearable, but seemed to ease the closer he got to Keith’s room.

He burst through the door, gasping as he watched Keith’s body seize. Rushing forward, Lance immediately dove on top of the bed, placing his taller body onto Keith’s skinnier form. He stayed there, starting to let out a worried croon as his omega continued to struggle. Why was he suddenly having a seizure? Was it because of Lance’s blood? Was his blood not compatible?

Lance whined at the thought. If he had caused this, Lance wasn’t sure what he’d do.

Suddenly smelling an alpha’s presence, Lance’s hackles raised as he turned his head to let out a warning growl. He had to protect his omega while he was weak.

“It’s okay, Lance,” it was Shiro’s voice. “It’s just me. I’m his brother. I won’t hurt him.”

Lance relaxed slightly as he smelled the truth in Shiro’s words. “You need to get Coran.”

“Pidge is,” Shiro replied calmly. “Just stay where you are and follow your instincts.”

Lance did as he was told, even going as far as to rub his cheeks all over Keith to try to calm him.

It seemed like hours before the shivering limbs finally settled. Lance breathed out a sigh of relief, smelling Coran in the doorway.

“He just stopped,” Lance said as he slowly got up, but stuck close. He couldn’t help but let out a warning growl as Shiro snuck closer.

Shiro held up his hands. “I’m just standing by in case I’m needed.”

Lance let out a huff, but allowed it. He needed to keep his omega safe.

Hold on, his omega?

Lanced blinked in surprise as he watched Coran take Keith’s vitals. Since when was Keith his omega? Hell, they barely knew each other. Damn soul bond.

“It seemed he was suffering from lack of fluids,” Coran finally spoke up with a frown. “I really need to get an IV in him.”

“Good thing the girls and I just raided an old doctor’s office,” Pidge spoke up as she hesitantly tiptoed in, carrying a bag with fluid in it. Lance let her in with a nod. She was an omega so she was safe. “I figured we’d need some supplies for Keith.”

“Good going, Pidge,” Shiro complimented, causing Pidge to preen.

“Here Coran,” she said, handing the bag and IV to the mustached man. “I even sterilized it.”

“Thank you Pidge,” Coran said with a bright smile as he took the items plus an alcohol pad from her. “I’ll just insert it in the vein here.” He pressed along a blue vein until he seemed to find the right spot. “This should be a good one.”

Lance let out a concerned whine as he hovered by Coran. He wished he could be more helpful.

“It’s alright, Lance,” Coran chirped. “He should be right as rain in a bit.”

Coran tapped the vein again before wiping the area with the alcohol pad. He then leaned forward and slowly pressed the needle into Keith’s skin. Keith didn’t even flinch.

“There we are,” Coran smiled as he taped the IV in place and stepped back. “I’ll check on him at every hour, just to be safe.” He turned to Lance then. “Good job keeping him in place, Lance. His stitches could’ve ruptured if he’d moved around too much.”

Lance let out a proud purr. “Just doing my job,” he said in reply, puffing out his chest.

“How did you know?” Pidge asked in surprise. Oh right, she didn’t know.

Lance looked over to Shiro, who nodded his head. “Funny thing,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Turns out Keith is my soulmate.”

“What?!” Pidge shrieked


End file.
